Apparatus for cooling fruits.



M. VSIfrROONLv 'APPARATUS FOR COOLING mums.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4, 1907. l 4

Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

Hl'nn M H) ll 1mm ninemsn finden, or sen Joss, cALxronNLA.

aprendimos ros Gennaio FRUITS.

Patented Nov. si, 1909.

iipicetloii filed Eems-miem d, 1997. 'Serial 110.391,320..

To all who/ni ir 'may concern:

be it known o itizen of 'the "c nited Statesi residing et Sen Jose, in the county of Santa @lara and State oi -Calii'ornie, have invented new and useful lnilgiroveinents in :in Apparatus orCooling liriiits, of which the ,following is a speci cation.

My invention relates to apparatus for cooling fresh fruits prior to their loading into cars for shipment.

`Jast quantities of fresh fruits are shipped yearly from California to eastern markets,

und in order to preserve theni during transit f they are loaded into refrigerator cars. Generally this fruit is loaded into the cars while the fruit is still very wenn, having been in the orchards under the blazing sun und then packed in hot packing houses, and no general utteinpt has been niade to ecol the fruit ol before loading. A car loaded willi this hot fruit will rapidly inelt the ice :md sometimes before a cer has gone a hun drediniles the iee siippiy `will be exhausted, i and while the fruit is temporarily cooled off unless the ear is 're-iced.

As rapid handling and ripid transit are essential to long transportation ot penisL allies, like iruit, it is manifestly impractical to try and store the fruit in an ice-house or o rdiimiv cooling chamber for any length time. and the number of cars that a single sliipping point may send out loaded with fruit litten rains into the thousands.

il, will not remain c'ool, and Will soon spoil l have devised a sys-teni by .vliieh they fruit, einer .it has been boxed and is ready for .'slii'-pn1eiit,r can be run through a cooling .a iaratus. chilled to a prenez degree and l t* i b 7 loaded into the at the rate of a car-load an hour.

i The figure illustrates a part sectional view und part plan View o a fruit cooling apparatus embodying my invention. A represents the cooling or chillinga paratus which may be divided' by longitn inal partitions 2, and any desired number of runways 3. An endless conveyer 4 having a receiving `and e dischar e portion exterior to the inclosure A, is .adg

,hat l, lannsnemi iN. Geom@ Moreover, the season is very short, l

apted to traverse the sooess'ive runways or compartments 3. The fresh fruit, su'itablyboxed, is delivered on to the conveyer and into the apparatus at 5,

than@ it is ycarried down one runway, and np the next, down a third, and so on, until finally discharged at i Adirectly into the car 5 At the end ,of 'the apparatus opposite to the inlet 5, is arian ed a cold air pipe (i having :i series et nozzles or blast outlets 7 discharging down the length of each runway or eoinpartment 3.' The cold sir blast is received from any suitable source of supply. In a practical apparatus built for expeditiously handling large quantities oi fruit, an air compresser 8 is arranged te :torce air through the ammonia coils 9, and the nir is thence forced by a :fan l0 through the 'cold air blast pipe 6.

As the fruit approaches theacold. blast, as it does in alternate runwaysfew to the sinnosities of the conveyer 4t, it is eooled off on one side. Passing into tlie alterl. Ways the fruit travels away blush and the boxes or'baslets containing the 'fruit receive the air blast on the other side, so that all ortions et' a box of vfruit become thorough y chilled before it leaves the apparatus.

the number of turns which it makes inside 'se Iv anifestlyythe speedv of the conveyor and I the apparatus, will be such as to effect the desired resultsf'llie slower the .travelfor' the longer the travel of the fruit mhe-a f L paratus, the colder it Will be when itis discharged into the car. f

By this preliminary cooling the :Erut'is Vin good condition for a long trip, and the ice in the ear will keepd'ar longer than Where it has to be used to reduce the temperature of the fruit to a point Where it will keep. i

Having thus described myinventon, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent isy An. apparatus for coolin fruit, which comprises a closed chamber ivided by artitions into a series of runways, an en ess conveyer having a receiving and a discharge .portion outside said chamber, and .with a sinuous portion traversing the successive run- Ways, ascold an' pipe having nozzles arranged to dischargrefihto said runways, a1ter= :nete of said nozz es"'d ischarging in a direction contrary to the travel of the conveyer, andthe intermediate nozzles dischargingl in 5y the same direction with the'conveyer, and a source of cold air supply for said air pipe.

In testimony whereof I havehereu-nto set l my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- IleSSeS.

' MARSHALL W. GROOM.

Witnesses: GE'O. H. KELLOGG, H; L. CULVER. 

